Parking meter with contactless payment

ABSTRACT

A parking meter is described that comprises components for providing parking meter functionality and a display for displaying parking information and a metal housing for protecting the parking meter components from an environment that has a display aperture through which the display is visible. The parking meter also comprises an antenna for a contactless payment reader arranged in or on the parking meter in close proximity to the display.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/783,716 filed Oct. 13, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/864,170 filed Sep. 24, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No.9,934,645, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/546,918, filed Jul. 11, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,406,056, whichclaims benefit by way of PCT patent application no. PCT/CA12/000191,filed Mar. 2, 2012; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/410,831, filedMar. 2, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,770,371; Canadian patent applicationno. 2,733,110, filed Mar. 3, 2011; and Canadian patent application no.2,756,489, filed Oct. 28, 2011.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to parking meters and in particular toparking meters having contactless payment options.

BACKGROUND

Parking meters come in many shapes and sizes but are generally dividedinto two main types or classes: multi-space parking meters which aretypically larger devices capable of managing the parking payment andcontrol for typically six or more, or possibly even hundreds of parkingspaces; and, single-space parking meters which are typically smalldevices capable of managing the parking payment and control of a singleparking space, but also sometimes additional spaces, such as two, four,or six spaces which are located in close proximity to the parking meter.

For example, FIG. 1 depicts a conventional single space parking meter100 installed on a pole 102. Single space parking meter mechanisms aretypically installed in a protective housing on a pole 102 near a parkingspace. The protective housing components, which are directly exposed tothe elements and the public, are traditionally separate from the actualparking meter mechanism (not shown). The protective housing componentsof previous single space parking meters 100 typically comprise a lowerhousing 104 that receives a removable parking meter mechanism. A covercap 106 is placed over the parking meter mechanism and secured to thelower housing 104. The cover cap 106 may comprise a semi-circularopening 110, covered by a transparent material through which a displayof the parking meter mechanism is visible. In some previous single spaceparking meters the display is set back from the exterior surface of thecover cap 106, or the transparent material covering the opening. Thelower housing 104 is typically secured to a coin vault 108 for storingcoins received during operation of the parking meter 100. The coin vault108 may be secured to the pole 102. The parking meter 100 is operated byinserting payment, either in the form of coins or payment cards such ascredit cards, chip cards or electronic purse cards, into the parkingmeter 100 which then displays and counts down the purchased amount ofparking time.

Parking meters are often located in unattended areas, and as suchvandalism, tampering and theft are of concern. The protective housing,which typically comprises the lower housing 104 and the cover cap 106,provides protection for the components of the parking meter mechanismfrom vandalism, tampering and theft, as well as protection from theenvironment.

Numerous credit card companies have now issued contactless payment cardswhich allow the card holder to make payment at devices with theappropriate contactless card readers. Previous parking meters haveemployed contactless card readers that allowed receiving payment from acard without the need of the card reader coming into contact with thepayment card. However, previous parking meters have incorporated thecontactless card reader as a separate component or with other paymentmeans, such as the coin chute. Alternatively, the card reader couldreplace other payment means entirely. Although the incorporation ofcontactless card readers in parking meters may provide flexibility inthe payment options available to a user of the parking meter, theposition of the contactless card reader within the parking meterprovided unsatisfactory user interactions. For example, when acontactless card reader is positioned away from a display of a parkingmeter, it has been difficult to provide clear instructions using thedisplay indicating where to make payment with the contactless cardreader. In addition, a parking meter having a contactless card readerpositioned away from a display may require a separate or additionalopening in the housing of the parking meter, which may lead to morecostly, complex and time consuming manufacturing of the housing, and maymake the parking meter more susceptible to vandalism, tampering ortheft.

There is therefore a need for a parking meter having an improvedimplementation for contactless payments.

SUMMARY

There is disclosed a parking meter comprising components for providingparking meter functionality; a display for displaying parking meterinformation; a metal housing for protecting the parking meter componentsfrom an environment, the housing comprising a display aperture throughwhich the display is visible; and an antenna for a contactless paymentreader arranged in or on the parking meter in close proximity to thedisplay.

There is further disclosed a removable parking meter mechanismcomprising components for providing parking meter functionality; adisplay for displaying parking information; and an antenna for acontactless payment reader arranged in close proximity to the display.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages will become apparent from the followingdetailed description, taken in combination with the appended drawings,in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic showing an installed previous single space parkingmeter;

FIG. 2 depicts illustrative components of a single space parking meterincluding contactless payment means;

FIG. 3 depicts illustrative components of a further single space parkingmeter including contactless payment means;

FIG. 4 depicts illustrative components of a further single space parkingmeter including contactless payment means;

FIG. 5 depicts illustrative components of a further single space parkingmeter including contactless payment means;

FIG. 6 depicts illustrative components of a further single space parkingmeter including contactless payment means;

FIG. 7 depicts illustrative components of a further single space parkingmeter including contactless payment means;

FIG. 8 depicts illustrative components of a multi-space parking meterincluding contactless payment means;

FIG. 9 depicts an illustrative contactless reader antenna;

FIG. 10 depicts a cross section of the solar panel aperture of FIG. 5taken along line 10-10′;

FIG. 11 depicts the component layers within the solar panel aperture ofFIG. 10; and

FIG. 12 depicts a layered construction of a solar panel assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 2 depicts illustrative components of a single space parking meter.The single space parking meter 200 comprises a lower housing 202, acover housing 210 and a removable parking meter mechanism 230. Theparking meter mechanism 230 may be partially received within the lowerhousing 202, which is typically secured to a coin vault (not shown) thatis mounted on a pole (not shown) when in use.

When the parking meter 200 is assembled, that is, the parking metermechanism 230 is at least partially placed in the lower housing 202 andthe cover housing 210 is secured and/or locked to the lower housing 220,the parking meter mechanism 230 is enclosed in a protective housing andprotected from the environment, vandalism, tampering, theft or otherunauthorized access. When assembled, the parking meter 200 includes adisplay opening 240 through which a display 242 of the parking metermechanism 230 is visible. The parking meter mechanism 230 may include acontactless payment reader for providing payment using a contactlesspayment card issued by the parking operator or by a bank or financialinstitution under one of the credit card brands, or a card conforming tothe ISO 14443 standard, although other types of near field communication(NFC) are possible such as an NFC enabled mobile phone, smartphone,wrist watch, or other appropriate tag, or token.

The contactless payment reader comprises a reader module (not visible)comprising electronics for controlling the operation of the contactlesspayment reader. The reader module is coupled to a contactless readerantenna 250. The contactless reader antenna 250 may be provided as athin flexible ring of copper wiring around the perimeter of a viewingarea of the display. The contactless reader antenna 250 is depicted by adashed line in FIG. 2 as it is located behind the display 242. Thecontactless reader may be provided on a single board or component thatincludes both the contactless reader module and the contactless readerantenna 250. Alternatively, the contactless reader module may beseparate from the contactless reader antenna 250 and connected to it bya wire or wires. The contactless reader module is in communication withelectronics of the parking meter mechanism responsible for the overalloperation of the parking meter. Alternatively, the contactless readermodule may be incorporated into the electronics of the parking metermechanism responsible for the overall operation of the parking meter.

When a contactless payment card, or other contactless payment device, isplaced in close proximity to the contactless reader antenna 250, thecontactless reader module can read information from the contactlesspayment card, which can be provided to the electronics of the parkingmeter mechanism in order to receive payment. In order to process thepayment from the contactless payment card, the electronics of theparking meter mechanism may communicate with a remote server using wiredor wireless communication technologies in order to receive authorizationof the transaction.

Previous parking meters have included a contactless type payment methodusing a contactless payment reader. However, there were disadvantagesassociated with the placement of contactless payment readers, or moreparticularly the contactless reader antenna, within previous parkingmeters. For example, the difficulties included difficulty in providingadequate space to place a contactless payment reader as well asdifficulty in providing instructions to a user, while still offeringother payment means. Having the contactless reader antenna located awayfrom the display, as in previous parking meters, makes it more difficultto provide instructions to a user for where to place the contactlesspayment card for payment.

The parking meter mechanism 230 includes a contactless payment readerthat has a contactless reader antenna 250 located directly behind thedisplay 242, which allows for payment by way of a contactless paymentcard or device (not shown). The display 242 is located in close enoughproximity to the exterior of the parking meter 200 such that thecontactless payment reader is able to adequately read contactlesspayment cards or devices placed over, or in close proximity to, thedisplay 242, and so the contactless reader antenna 250. The maximum readdistance between the contactless payment card or device and thecontactless reader antenna is typically a function of the size of thecontactless reader antenna 250, the presence of any material, and itsnature if present, between, or in the vicinity of, the contactlessreader antenna and the contactless payment card of device, and otheroperating conditions of the parking meter 200. The distance between thecontactless reader antenna and the contactless payment card or device,as well as properties of any intervening material, may affect theprobability of successfully reading the contactless payment card ordevice. Different applications may have different acceptable readingsuccess rates and as such, may have varying acceptable distances betweenthe contactless reader antenna and the contactless payment card ordevice. An adequate success rate for reading of contactless paymentcards or devices by the contactless payment reader through the display242 may be accomplished even with a double layer of a clear protectivecover placed over the display 242. Since the contactless reader antenna250 is placed behind the display 242, which is significantly moretransparent to the wireless signals used by the contactless paymentreader than housing components of the parking meter 200, which aretypically made of metal, no additional openings or apertures need to beincluded in the housing components to provide adequate operation of thecontactless payment reader. Thus, by placing the contactless paymentreader behind the display 242, in addition to providing a convenientlocation for placing the con tactless payment device to initiatepayment, it is possible to provide housing components that providegreater security and environmental protection.

When making payment using the contactless payment reader, the display242 may be used to display a logo, graphic and/or directions such as“Tap Here” or simply “Tap” as depicted, providing clear and convenientpayment instructions to the user. The contactless reader antenna 250 islocated sufficiently close to the display so that a user placing thecontactless payment card or device in the vicinity of the display 242 asinstructed by the display will have an acceptable success rate forreading the contactless payment card or device.

By placing the contactless reader antenna 250 behind the display 242,the amount of space required to offer this method of payment may bereduced, as the need of an additional opening or aperture in the housingcomponents is eliminated. In addition, the display 242 and possibleprotective covering of the display 242 provide protection and ruggednessso as to allow the contactless payment reader to be deployed inunattended single space parking meters without the need for additionalprotection. Additionally, by placing the contactless reader antennabehind the display 242, the physical packaging of the parking metermechanism 230 may be reduced to provide more freedom in the design ofthe parking meter 200, possibly allowing a smaller more appealing singlespace parking meter, which may be desirable given the large number ofsingle space parking meters that may be present on a single street orblock.

Placing the contactless reader antenna 250 behind the display 242 asdescribed above may work acceptably well if the display 242 does nothave a sufficient amount of metal to significantly impeded the RFsignals. However, some displays, for example colour displays, may have ametal backing, impeding the transmission of RF signals.

FIG. 3 depicts illustrative components of a single space parking meter.The parking meter 300 is similar to the parking meter 200 describedabove; however, the contactless reader antenna 350 is placed on thefront of the display 242. The contactless reader antenna 350 may beplaced around the perimeter of an active section of the display thatdisplays information in order to prevent obscuring the view of thedisplay. The contactless reader antenna 350 on the front of the display242 may be in sufficiently close proximity to the display 242 so that acontactless payment card or device placed in the vicinity of the display242 as instructed will have an acceptable reading success rate.

The opening 240 in the parking meter housing, through which the display242 is visible when the parking meter 300 is assembled, also allows thetransmission and reception of the required RF signals at the contactlessreader antenna 350 for the operation of the contactless payment. Theopening 240 is sized so that the RF signals can pass through anon-metallic material used to seal the opening 240. As a result, the RFsignals do not need to pass through the metallic housing, providingimproved operation of the contactless payment reader.

FIG. 4 depicts illustrative components of a single space parking meter.The parking meter 400 is similar to the parking meters 200 and 300described above; however, the contactless reader antenna 450 is placedon the interior of a material used to seal or cover the opening 240 inthe parking meter housing through which the display 242 is visible.Typically, the external housing of the parking meter 400 is made ofmetal, which attenuates RF signals. The opening 240 is typically sealedusing a transparent or semi-transparent material such as Lexan. Thematerial used to enclose the opening 240 is typically transparent orsemi-transparent to RF signals.

As depicted in FIG. 4, the contactless reader antenna 450, representedby a dashed line, is placed on the interior side of the material sealingthe opening 240. The cover 210 may need to be separated from a lowerportion 202 of the parking meter 400 in order to remove the parkingmeter mechanism 230. The contactless reader antenna 450 may be attachedto the contactless reader module of the removable parking metermechanism 230 by a detachable connection 452, 454. As such, whenremoving the cover 210, the contactless reader antenna 450 can bedetached from the removable parking meter mechanism 230 and thenreattached when assembling the parking meter 400.

FIG. 5 depicts illustrative components of a single space parking meter.The parking meter 500 comprises a meter housing 502 that encloses aparking meter mechanism and protects it from the environment andvandalism. The meter housing 502 is typically made out of a metal ormetal alloy and comprises one or more apertures providing windows tointernal components, including a solar panel opening 510 through which asolar panel 512 may be visible. As depicted, the meter housing 502includes a display opening 504 through which a display 506 is visiblewhen the parking meter 500 is assembled. The display opening 504 in themetal housing 502 is typically sealed with a transparent orsemi-transparent protective material such as Lexan. The parking meter500 may include a solar panel opening 510 in the housing 502 in which asolar panel 512 can sit, or through which a solar panel is visible.

The display 506 is located behind the display opening 504 so that it isviewable when the parking meter 500 is assembled. The display 506includes a contactless reader antenna 508 surrounding a perimeter of thedisplay 506. The reader antenna 508 is located within the displayopening 504, providing a transmission path between the antenna 508 andthe contactless payment device that is not impeded by the metal of themeter housing 502. Although described as being located around aperimeter of the display 506, it is contemplated that the contactlessreader antenna 508 could be located in different locations in or on theparking meter and arranged in sufficiently close proximity to thedisplay 506 so that a contactless payment device placed in the vicinityof the display 506 has an acceptable success rate for reading thecontactless payment device.

FIG. 6 depicts illustrative components of a single space parking meter.The parking meter 600 comprises a meter housing 602 that encloses aparking meter mechanism and protects it from the environment andvandalism. The meter housing 602 is typically made out of a metal ormetal alloy and comprises one or more apertures providing windows tointernal components. As depicted, the meter housing 602 includes anopening 604 through which a display 606 is visible when the parkingmeter 600 is assembled. The opening 604 in the metal housing 602 issized such that the display 606 is visible, and a section whichincorporates a plurality of buttons 614 for controlling the parkingmeter 600 is exposed.

The display 606 is located behind the opening 604 so that it is viewablewhen the parking meter 600 is assembled. The display 606 includes acontactless reader antenna 608 surrounding a perimeter of the display606. The reader antenna 608 is located within the opening 604 which iscovered by a material providing a low attenuation of RF signals,providing a transmission path between the antenna 608 and thecontactless payment device that is not impeded by the metal of the meterhousing 602.

Although described as being located around a perimeter of the display606, it is contemplated that the antenna 608 could be located indifferent locations in or on the parking meter 600 and arranged insufficiently close proximity to the display 606 so that a contactlesspayment device placed in the vicinity of the display 606 has anacceptable success rate for reading a contactless payment device.

FIG. 7 depicts illustrative components of a single space parking meter.The parking meter 700 is substantially similar to parking meter 600;however, the contactless reader antenna 708 a is depicted as beinglocated on an interior side of the material used to seal or cover theopening 604 and in close proximity to the display 606. Additionally oralternatively, a second contactless reader antenna 708 b may be includedon the interior side of the material used to seal or cover the opening604 and surrounding the input components (i.e., buttons) 614 in closeproximity to the display 606. With the contactless reader antenna 708 aor 708 b located on the interior side of the material used to seal orcover the opening 604, it may be connected to the electronics of theparking meter mechanism using a detachable connection.

Although described as being located around a perimeter of the display606, it is contemplated that the antenna 708 a could be located indifferent locations in or on the parking meter 700 and arranged insufficiently close proximity to the display 606 so that a contactlesspayment device placed in the vicinity of the display 606 has anacceptable success rate for reading a contactless payment device.Likewise, although described as being located around the inputcomponents 614, it is contemplated that the antenna 708 b could belocated in different locations in or on the parking meter 700 andarranged in sufficiently close proximity to the display 606 so that acontactless payment device placed in the vicinity of the display 606 hasan acceptable success rate for reading a contactless payment device.

Various possible positions of the antenna within the opening of theparking meter have been described above with reference to FIG. 7.Although the possible positions were described with regards to a singleopening in the parking meter, a contactless reader antenna may also bepositioned within or about a second opening separate from the openingfor the display and still be in sufficiently close proximity to thedisplay to facilitate clear payment instructions. For example, and withregards to FIG. 5, the contactless reader antenna could be placed inproximity to the solar panel opening 510, on the solar panel 512, on acover of the solar panel opening 510, over the top surface of the solarpanel 512, or a combination of one or more of the foregoing.

Alternatively, the contactless reader antenna could be placed on anexterior side of the parking meter, for example, over a protective coverof the display opening 504 or the solar panel opening 510. If thecontactless reader antenna is placed on the exterior of the parkingmeter, it may be located at the same height, or slightly elevatedrelative to the metal housing surrounding the opening. The contactlessreader antenna may be protected by a plastic bezel that encapsulates thecontactless reader antenna and securely attaches to the parking meter.

Although the solar panel opening is described above as an opening, itmay be provided by an indentation such that a solar panel and coveringmay rest flush with the rest of the housing. If the solar panel openingis provided by an indentation in the metal housing, the properties ofthe contactless reader antenna and/or the contactless reader module maybe adjusted in order to account for the location of the metal.

FIG. 8 depicts illustrative components in a multi-space parking meter.The multi-space parking meter 800 provides metering functionality to aplurality of parking spaces. The multi-space parking meter 800 may be apay and display type meter in which payment is made by a user and aprinted ticket is displayed on the user's vehicle. Alternatively, themulti-space meter 800 may be a pay by space or pay by plate type ofmeter, in which payment is made and associated with a specific parkingspace or license plate. Regardless of the type of multi-space meter, themeter 800 typically comprises a metal cabinet or enclosure 802 thatencloses the components of the parking meter. Components of themulti-space meter may be located or mounted within the enclosure 802 atconvenient locations. In contrast to a single space meter, where aparking meter mechanism is typically removable as a unit, the mechanismof the multi-space meter may comprise the various components thatprovide parking meter functionality. The cabinet 802 includes a paymentsection 804 comprising input means 806 such as buttons and/or keypads,for controlling operation of the parking meter, one or more paymentmeans 808 such as credit card, debit card and/or smart card readers andcoin chutes, and a display 810 for displaying parking information. Themulti-space parking meter 800 further includes a contactless paymentreader that includes a contactless reader antenna 812 located insufficiently close proximity to the display 810 so that a contactlesspayment device placed in the vicinity of the display 810 has anacceptable success rate for reading a contactless payment device.

The contactless reader antenna 812 is depicted as being located about aperimeter of the display 810. It is contemplated that the contactlessreader antenna 812 could be located in different locations in or on theparking meter 800 and arranged in sufficiently close proximity to thedisplay 810 so that a contactless payment device placed in the vicinityof the display 810 has an acceptable success rate for reading acontactless payment device.

The specific design of the contactless reader antenna may vary dependingon numerous factors, including the size of the opening within which theantenna is located, the proximity of the contactless reader antenna tothe metal of the parking meter housing, whether or not the opening has ametal backing, etc. Further, the wires or wire traces forming thecontactless reader antenna may also vary, for example, if thecontactless reader antenna is placed over the viewable portion of thedisplay or solar panels, the wires or wire traces may be sufficientlysmall so as to not obstruct the view of the display, or functioning ofthe solar panel.

FIG. 9 depicts an illustrative contactless reader antenna. Thecontactless reader antenna 900 comprises a plurality of connected tracesforming a single electrical wire. As depicted, the contactless readerantenna 900 comprises a tail portion 902 that is used to connect thecontactless reader antenna to the contactless reader module and a loopportion 904 that surrounds a viewable area 9006 of the display of theparking meter. It is noted that the loop portion 904 terminates at aninner location 908, however this inner location 908 is electricallyconnected to one of the traces of the tail portion 902. This electricalconnection, depicted as wire 910, between the inner location 908 of theloop portion 904 and the tail portion 902 is electrically insulated fromthe other wires or wires traces of the loop portion 904.

The above has described placement of a contactless reader antenna withina parking meter. Advantageously, the antenna placement has beendescribed as being located in close proximity to a display, facilitatingeasy instructions for the use of the contactless reader. As will beappreciated, single space parking meters commonly found in NorthAmerica, and other parts of the world, have a common outer housing madeof a high strength metal, such as ductile iron, nickel or zinc. Thecommonly shaped housing allows different parking meter mechanisms to bereceived within the housing. While convenient for replacing the parkingmeter mechanism, the use of a common housing reduces the locations thatthe contactless reader antenna may be placed, as the lower metal housingis common and generally already installed on the street. As such, it isdesirable to locate the contactless reader antenna in a location on thereplaceable parking meter mechanism that is not covered by the commonlower housing when the parking meter is assembled. As described above,the contactless parking meter antenna may be located within an apertureof an upper housing or cover of the parking meter mechanism. Theaperture has been described above as being provided for the parkingmeter display and/or input controls of the parking meter. Depending uponthe size of the display aperture, the efficiency of the contactlessreader antenna may be less than ideal. For example, if the displayaperture is relatively small, a contactless reader antenna thatsurrounds the display may still be located in close proximity to themetal housing of the cover. The close proximity of the metal to thecontactless antenna may adversely affect the operation of thecontactless reader antenna and the antenna may not be able to achieve adesired performance level.

It is possible to locate the contactless reader antenna in a locationother than surrounding, or immediately adjacent to, the display. Forexample, the parking meter 500 includes an opening or aperture 510 forreceiving a solar panel 512. As depicted in FIG. 5, the solar panelaperture 510 is relatively large compared to the display opening 504,while still being located in close proximity to the display. It iscontemplated that the contactless reader antenna may be located withinthe solar panel aperture 510.

FIG. 10 depicts a cross section of the solar panel aperture 510 of FIG.5 taken along line 10-10′. FIG. 11 depicts the component layers withinthe solar panel aperture of FIG. 10. As depicted in FIGS. 10 and 11, asolar panel assembly 1000 located within a solar panel aperture isdepicted. As depicted, the solar panel aperture is provided within ametal housing 1002 of the parking meter. The bottom of the solar panelaperture is lined with a radio frequency (RF) shielding material 1004that absorbs RF signals, such as those radiated by the contactlessantenna. The solar panel assembly is received on top of the RF shielding1004 and includes a solar panel 1006 that is sized to be received withinthe solar panel aperture. A lower transparent covering 1008, such as a1/16″ Lexan covering, is located on top of the solar panel 1006. Thecontactless reader antenna 1010, which may be a coiled loop of very finegauge copper wires shaped in a 2″×3″ loop, is located on top of thelower transparent covering 1008. A second transparent covering ion, suchas a 1/16″ Lexan covering, may be placed on top of the contactlessreader antenna 1010. The solar panel assembly, comprising the solarpanel 1006, the first transparent covering 1008, the contactless readerantenna 1010 and the second transparent covering 1012 may be secured inplace within the solar panel aperture by a metal covering plate or bezel1014. The covering plate has an aperture through which light can passthrough to the solar panel 1006. The covering plate may be secured inplace using one or more screws or bolts 1016 that pass through the solarpanel assembly and the RF shielding layer 1004 into the bottom of thesolar panel aperture. Although depicted as passing though the differentlayers, it is contemplated that the individual layers may be sized suchthat the screws or bolts do not pass through them.

Advantageously, the size of the solar panel aperture allows thecontactless reader antenna to be located a sufficient distance away fromthe surrounding metal housing to provide improved readingcharacteristics. Further, the placement of the contactless readerantenna 1010 on top of the first transparent covering 1008 and the solarpanel 1006 provides a gap between the contactless reader antenna 1010and the metal 1002 of the bottom of the solar panel aperture. Further,the RF shielding 1004 located in bottom of the solar panel aperturefurther improves the operation of the contactless reader antenna 1010.While the contactless reader antenna 1010 is located above the solarpanel 1006, and so will block some light that would otherwise beincident upon the solar panel, the amount of light blocked may benegligible due to the fine gauge of the copper traces of the contactlessreader antenna.

As described above with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, a contactlessreader antenna may be located within a solar panel aperture. As depictedin FIG. 5, the solar panel aperture 510 may be located in closeproximity to the display 506 of the parking meter, possibly simplifyingthe instructions for the use of the contactless reader antenna. Forexample, the display 506 may be used during a payment to displayeasy-to-use instructions to a user for effecting contactless payment viathe contactless reader antenna located within the proximal solar panelaperture 510. Locating the contactless reader antenna within the solarpanel aperture 510 may also provide improved operating characteristicswhen compared to locating the contactless reader antenna within apossibly smaller display opening.

In addition to providing adequate operating characteristics, it isfurther desirable to provide a single space parking meter that is simpleto manufacture and easy to maintain. It is possible to incorporate thecontactless reader antenna and the solar panel in a single componentthat can be easily installed and/or replaced within a single spaceparking meter.

FIG. 12 depicts a layered construction of a solar panel assembly asdescribed with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. The solar panel assembly1000 may be manufactured into a single component, allowing easyreplacement of the solar panel component in the parking meter. Asdepicted in FIG. 12, the solar panel assembly 1000 may comprise astacked arrangement of the solar panel 1006, the first transparentcovering 1008, the contactless reader antenna 1010, and the secondtransparent covering 1012.

The solar panel assembly may be installed in a parking meter by firstplacing a layer of RF shielding material in the bottom the solar panelaperture; placing the solar panel assembly within the solar panelaperture, and attaching the contactless reader antenna to electronics ofthe parking meter as appropriate; and securing the solar panel assemblywithin the solar panel aperture with a cover plate or bezel.

As described above, a parking meter may be provided with a contactlesspayment means having a contactless reader antenna arranged within anopening in the metal housing of the parking meter. As described, theantenna may be arranged on either side of a display of the parkingmeter. Furthermore, the antenna may be arranged on an interior surfaceof a material sealing an opening in the parking meter housing. A decalmay be placed on the covering of the opening to hide the antenna wireswhile not impeding the transmission of RF signals. Furthermore theindividual conductive wires of the antenna of the contactless cardreader may be sufficiently small in diameter or fine that even whenplaced in front of the display they do not significantly interfere withthe display visibility, allowing the antenna to be placed over thedisplay. Advantageously, the opening in the metal housing for thedisplay is typically covered with a protective material through whichthe display is visible, such as Lexan. This material typically providesa low attenuation of RF signals and as such locating the antenna withinthe opening covered by the low attenuation material provides an improvedtransmission path, which can increase the likelihood of successfullycommunicating with a contactless payment device. Furthermore, since theopening is used for viewing the display, and since the display may beused to display a logo, graphic and/or directions such as “tap here”,providing clear and convenient payment instructions to the user, it isnot necessary to provide an additional opening in the metal housing ofthe parking meter, which may improve the strength of the parking meterhousing and/or possibly simplifying its construction.

Although various embodiments have been described with differentplacements of the contactless reader antenna, it is contemplated thatthe antenna could be located in or on the parking meter in differentpositions or configurations. The antenna should be placed insufficiently close proximity to the display, when the parking meter isassembled, to provide an acceptable success rate of reading when acontactless payment device is placed in the vicinity of the display.Arranging the antenna in or on the parking meter in close proximity tothe display allows clear instructions to be presented to the user on thedisplay, indicating to the user where to place the contactless paymentdevice. For example, the antenna could be located on an exterior side ofthe parking meter in close proximity to the display.

Various embodiments of parking meters with contactless payment meanshave been described. The above-described embodiments of the inventionare intended to be examples of the present invention and alterations andmodifications may be effected thereto, by those of ordinary skill in theart, without departing from the scope of the invention which is definedsolely by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A parking meter comprising: a housing forprotecting parking meter components from an environment, the housingcomprising a display aperture through which a display is visible; acontactless payment reader; a near-field communication (NFC) antenna forthe contactless payment reader wherein the antenna is arranged in or onthe parking meter in close proximity to the display aperture; andmaterial sealing the display aperture in the housing and providing a lowattenuation of radio frequency (RF) signals.
 2. The parking meter ofclaim 1, wherein at least a portion of the antenna comprises a smalldiameter conductive wire or a fine conductive wire.
 3. The parking meterof claim 2, wherein at least some of the portion of the antennacomprising the small diameter conductive wire or the fine conductivewire is arranged in front of the display.
 4. The parking meter of claim1, wherein the antenna is arranged adjacent to the display aperture. 5.The parking meter of claim 4, wherein the antenna surrounds inputcomponents that interact with the parking meter.
 6. The parking meter ofclaim 5, wherein the input components comprise a plurality of buttons.7. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the antenna is arranged on aninterior surface of the material sealing the display aperture.
 8. Theparking meter of claim 1, wherein the antenna is arranged on a removableparking meter mechanism at least partially received within the housing.9. The parking meter of claim 8, wherein the display is located on theremovable parking meter mechanism, and the antenna is arranged around atleast a portion of the display.
 10. The parking meter of claim 9,wherein at least a portion of the antenna approximately comprises aparallelogram arrangement.
 11. The parking meter of claim 8, wherein atleast a portion of the antenna approximately comprises a parallelogramarrangement.
 12. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the antenna isarranged on a portion of the housing and is connected to the contactlesspayment reader within a removable parking meter mechanism via detachablewire connections.
 13. The parking meter of claim 1, wherein the housingfurther comprises an additional aperture arranged in close proximity tothe display and wherein the antenna is at least partially located withinor about the additional aperture.
 14. The parking meter of claim 13,wherein the additional aperture comprises a solar panel aperture housinga solar panel.
 15. The parking meter of claim 13, further comprisingadditional material sealing the additional aperture in the housing andproviding a low attenuation of radio frequency (RF).
 16. The parkingmeter of claim 1, wherein the contactless payment reader reads paymentinformation from one or more of: a credit card; a card conforming to ISO14443 standard; an NFC enabled mobile phone; an NFC enabled smartphone;an NFC enabled wrist watch; an NFC tag; and an NFC token.
 17. Theparking meter of claim 1, further comprising additional paymentcomponents comprising one or more of: a card slot in the front housingfor receiving a payment card; and a coin slot for receiving coins. 18.The parking meter of claim 1, further comprising a wirelesscommunication component for communicating with a remote server toauthorize payment transactions.
 19. The parking meter of claim 1,wherein at least a portion of the housing is made of metal.
 20. Theparking meter of claim 19, wherein the antenna is arranged on anexterior surface of the housing.
 21. The parking meter of claim 1,wherein the material sealing the display aperture in the housingcomprises at least a portion of transparent or semi-transparent materialthrough which the display is visible.